Marker screw cap



March 19, 1968 v. J. LANKES MARKER SCREW CAP Filed March 18, 1966 PIIII -ill 'IZEZEWIM O T N 3 m l m T l V ATTORNEYS United States Patent Office 3,373,535 MARKER SCREW CAP Victor J. Lankes, 41 Olney Drive, Amherst, N.Y. 14226 Filed Mar. 18, 1966, Ser. No. 535,532 8 Claims. (Cl. 52-105) ABSTRACT OF THE DISQLOSURE A rubber cap, for locating and protecting a marker screw threadedly engaged with duct means embedded in poured concrete wall construction, includes a small tube having its closed outer end adapted to project beyond the outer wall surface but to resiliently yield upon engagement with a surface finishing tool, a large tube adapted to surround the screw, a shoulder connecting the inner ends of the tubes and adapted to be engaged by the head end of the screw roughly adjusted almost level with or below the outer wall surface, and a pair of oppositely disposed lateral strips adapted to be turned inwardly across the outer end of the large tube and to fit over the shank end of the screw for maintaining the head end against the shoulder.

This invention relates to improvements in poured wall construction, and more particularly to a new and improved cap for locating and protecting a marker screw, which has one end adapted to be threadedly engaged with a duct outlet cover and which is adapted to extend outwardly from the duct toward an outer surface of a wall, during and after pouring of the Wall to embed the duct.

While not restricted thereto, the present invention is particularly adapted for use in locating potential electrical outlets in ducts embedded in poured walls construction. Taking a poured concrete floor wall as an example, it is conventional practice to first lay the ducts along the sub-floor or other support. At intervals along its length, the duct has openings or outlets in its upper wall which are closed by covers on which upstanding marker screws are threadedly mounted. In order to permit pouring of the floor to the desired height and finishing of the upper surface of the floor, while maintaining the locations of the various marker screws, it is necessary that the heads of the screws be precisely level with the upper surface of the poured floor. As a practical matter, this is a physical impossibility, because it would require very fine adjustments of the screws and a detailed survey to make sure that all the heads of the screws are exactly at the desired level, as well as precise pouring and finishing of the floor. As a consequence, some of the screws become covered by the concrete and therefore do not serve their function, while others project into the path of the finishing machines or trowels and interfere with finishing of the surface of the floor.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to overcome these problems by providing a marker screw cap which permits rough or haphazard adjustment of the marker screw to any suitable height almost level with or beneath the outer surface of the poured wall, while still locating and protecting the screw during and after pouring of the wall, without interfering with finishing of such outer surface.

Another object is to provide such a cap which is adapted to project outwardly beyond the outer surface of the poured wall not only for locating the screw but also for resiliently yielding upon engagement by means employed in finishing such outer surface.

A further object is to provide such a cap which is adapted to arrange and maintain the screw in the desired position therein.

3,373,535 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 Still another object is to provide such a cap which can be removed readily from the screw after the wall has been poured for any desired adjustment of the screw and access to the duct outlet.

A still further object is to provide such a cap which is economical to manufacture and both efiicient and effective in serving the purposes for which it is designed.

Additional objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following detailed description and the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a marker screw cap constituting a preferred embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of a poured floor wall in various stages of construction and incorporating a duct embedded in the wall and having a series of longitudinally spaced upper outlets provided with covers, together with marker screws threadedly engaged with such covers, inventive caps mounted on two of such screws and a grommet surrounding the head of one of the screws in the completed wall construction;

FIGS. 3-5 are vertical sections through a poured floor wall showing the marker screws roughly or haphazardly adjusted to convenient heights ranging from almost level with the top surface of the wall, in FIG. 3, to one substantially recessed beneath such top surface, in FIG. 5, but with the inventive caps projecting above such top surface in each case;

FIG. 6, is a view similar to FIG. 4, but showing the cap removed and the screw adjusted to near level of the poured floor wall, and

FIG. 7 is a view similar to FIG. 6, but showing the completed floor wall provided with suitable covering and a grommet in place around the head of the screw which is adjusted level with the floor covering.

Referring to the drawings and particularly FIG. 1, a preferred embodiment of the inventive marker screw cap is generally indicated at 10 and is preferably molded in one piece from suitable flexible and resilient elastomeric material such as rubber. Cap 10 includes a larger elongated tubular member 12 having an open outer or lower end, a smaller elongated tubular member 14 having a closed outer or upper end remote from the lower end of member 12, and an annular shoulder 16 connecting the inner ends of members 12 and 14 and forming an internal transverse surface 16a projecting laterally inwardly from the inner periphery of member 12 to the inner periphery of member 14 and (FIGS. 3-5) facing toward the outer end of member 12. The cap is completed by a pair of oppositely disposed strips 18, 20 extending laterally outwardly from the outer end of member 12 and each having a through opening 18a, 20a, respectively in its outer end. Strip 20 is also provided with a lateral sleeve 22 forming its through opening 20a and depending outwardly or downwardly beyond the outer or lower end of member 12.

A typical poured concrete floor wall construction is shown in FIG. 2, and includes an elongated and hollow rectangular metal duct or raceway 30 for receiving electrical supply wires or the like (not shown) and having a series of longitudinally spaced upper outlets closed by metal covers 32. Each cover is provided with a central through opening and on its underside with an internally threaded plate 34 (FIGS. 3-7) suitably fastened thereto for threaded engagement with the shank end of a marker screw 40. Surrounding and embedding these elements is the poured concrete floor Wall W.

In mounting inventive cap 10 on screw 40, the preferred procedure is to insert the shank end of the screw into the free or depending end of sleeve 22 until the screw passes through the receiving opening 20a with its shank end projecting, followed by turning strip 20 inwardly across the outer end of member 12 in order to invert and turn the screw and sleeve 22. into receiving member 12 with the head end of the screw being arranged against internal surface 16a formed by shoulder 16. Next, strip 18 is stretched to pass over the shank end of screw 40, which projects through receiving opening 18a, and is likewise turned inwardly over the previously turned strip 20, in order to maintain the head end of the screw in the desired position against surface 16a, as shown in FIGS. 35. The screw with the cap thereon is now ready for installation in the wall construction.

In forming such poured floor wall construction, as shown in FIG. 2, the duct 30 is laid on the sub-floor or other support (not shown), with its upper outlets removably closed by covers 32. Screws at) with caps lo thereon are then mounted on covers 32 by threadedly engaging the shank ends of the screws with internally threaded plates 34 so that the screws extend outwardly from the duct toward the outer surface of the wall W to be poured.

There is no need for precise adjustment of the height of screws 4t} because of the projecting cap members 14. Thus, the height of the screws can be roughly or haphazardly adjusted so that their heads ends are located almost even with or beneath the outer surface of the wall to be poured, as shown in FIGS. 3-5, for example.

Returning to FIG. 2, Once the assembled screws 46) and caps are in place on duct 30, the wall W is poured to embed the duct in the usual manner. In FIG. 2, the ideal situation is shown, wherein the thickness of wall W from the dished central upper surface of cover 32 to outer or upper wall surface S is just about equal to the distance between the bottom surface of inwardly turned strip 18 and the upper surface of shoulder 16. Thus, the upper surface of shoulder 16 is about level with surface S and the entire length of cap member 14 projects outwardly or above surface S to locate the embedded screw 4-0. At the same time, member 14 does not interfere with finishing of surface S because it will resiliently yield upon engagement with surface finishing means, such as a conventional concrete surfacing machine or trowel, and temporarily bend over when wiped by such finishing means.

' After wall W has set, cap 10 can be pulled off or otherwise removed readily from screw 49. If the wall is finished with a covering C of tile or the like, a hole can be made in the covering slightly larger than the head of the screw so that a metal grommet G can be placed around the screw which is adjusted so as to be level with the upper surface of the floor wall covering C, as also shown in FIG. 7. The finished wall will then show a series of marker screws which severally indicate outlets in the duct 30 so that electrical supply wires or the like can be brought out through the wall at such locations.

Referring now to FIGS. 3-7, and particularly FIGS. 3-5, several more typical situations are shown, because it happens, more often than not, that the thickness of the wall W between upper central surface of the duct cover 32 and outer or upper wall surface S is greater than the distance between the bottom surface of inwardly turned strip 18 and the upper surface of shoulder 16.

In FIG. 3, the cap carrying screw 40 is adjusted so that its head end is almost level with surface S; in FIG. 4, the screw is recessed somewhat below surface S, and in FIG. 5, the screw is recessed substantially beneath surface S. In each case, however, cap member 14 still projects outwardly above or beyond the wall surface S to be finished, thereby locating the screw, despite rough or haphazard adjustment thereof with respect to cover 32, and without interfering with finishing of such surface.

As before, cap 20 may be removed readily from screw 40 after wall W has set, since it is but a simple matter to chip away the overlying concrete portions in the cases of FIGS. 4 and 5. Whereupon, the height of the screw can be adjusted readily to that desired, and the wall covering C and grommet G put in place, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7;

Car

It now will be seen how the invention accomplishes its various objects, and the numerous advantages of the invention likewise will be evident. While the invention has been described and illustrated herein by reference to certain preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that various changes and modifications may be made in the invention by those skilled in the art without departing from the inventive concept, the scope of which is to be determined by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

I. A cap for locating and protecting a marker screw, which has one end adapted to be threadedly engaged with duct means and which is adapted to extend outwardly from the duct means toward an outer surface of a wall, during and after pouring of the wall to embed the duct means, with its other end adapted to be roughly adjusted almost level with or below the outer wall surface, said cap comprising one elongated tubular member having an open outer end, another flexible and resilient elongated member having an outer end remote from said outer end of said one member, means connecting the inner ends of said members and forming an internal transverse surface projecting laterally inwardly from the inner periphery of said one member and facing toward said outer end of said one member, and a pair of flexible and resilient, oppositely disposed strips extending laterally outwardiy from said outer end of said one member and each having a through opening in its outer end, said one member being adapted to receive the screw with its other and arranged against said internal surface, said other member being adapted to project outwardly beyond the outer surface of the poured wall not only for locating the screw but also for resiliently yielding and temporarily bending over upon engagement by means employed in finishing such outer surface, one of said strips being adapted to receive the screw through its opening and to be turned inwardly across said outer end of said one member for arranging the other end of the screw against said internal surface, and the other of said strips being adapted to receive the screw through its opening and to be turned inwardly over said one strip after the latter has received the screw and been turned inwardly, for maintaining the other end of the screw against said internal surface.

2. The cap of claim 1 wherein said other member is also tubular and has its outer end closed, said one member is larger than said other member, said connecting means is a shoulder and said internal transverse surface formed by said shoulder projects to the inner periphery of said other member.

3. The cap of claim 1 wherein said one strip is provided with a lateral sleeve forming its through opening and depending outwardly beyond said outer end of said one member, said sleeve being adapted to receive the screw and to be turned inwardly into said one member.

4. The cap of claim 3 wherein said other member is also tubular and has its outer end closed, said one member is larger than said other member, said connecting means is a shoulder, said internal transverse surface formed by said shoulder projects to the inner periphery of said other member and said cap is molded in one piece from flexible and resilient elastomeric material.

5. In wall construction including a poured wall, duct means embedded in said wall, and a marker screw which has one end threadedly engaged with said duct means and which extends outwardly from said duct means toward an outer surface of said wall, with its other end roughly adjusted almost level with or below said outer surface, the combination therewith of a cap for locating and protecting said screw during and after pouring of said wall to embed said duct means, said cap comprising one elongated tubular member having an open outer end, another flexible and resilient elongated member having an outer end remote from said outer end of said one member, means connecting the inner ends of said memhers and forming an internal transverse surface projecting laterally inwardly from the inner periphery of said one member and facing toward said outer end of said one member, and a pair of flexible and resilient, 0ppositely disposed strips normally extending laterally outwardly from said outer end of said one member and each having a through opening in its outer end, said one member receiving said screw with its other end arranged against said internal surface, said other member projecting outwardly beyond said outer surface not only for locating said screw but also for resiliently yielding upon engagement by means employed in finishing said outer surface, one of said strips receiving said screw through its opening, and being turned inwardly across said outer end of said one tubular member for arranging said other end of said screw against said internal surface, and the other of said strips receiving said screw through its opening and being turned inwardly over said one strip after the latter has received said screw and been turned inwardly, 'for maintaining said other end of said screw against said internal surface.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said other member is also tubular and has its outer end closed, said one member is larger than said other member, said connecting means is a shoulder and said internal transverse surface formed by said shoulder projects to the inner periphery of said other member.

7. The combination of claim 5 wherein said one strip is provided with a lateral sleeve forming its through opening and normally depending outwardly beyond said outer end of said one member, said sleeve receiving said screw and being turned inwardly into said one member.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said other member is also tubular and has its outer end closed, said one member is larger than said other member, said connecting means is a shoulder, and said internal transverse surface formed by said shoulder projects to the inner periphery of said other member, said cap is molded in one piece from flexible and resilient elastomeric material.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,097,394 10/1937 Fullman 52-105 X 2,204,006 6/1940 Allen et al. 52-405 X FRANK L. ABBOTT, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED C. PERHAM, Examiner.

UNITED STATES PAT ENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3,373,535 March 19, 1968 Victor J. Lankes It is certified that error appears in the above identified patent and that said Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Column 2, lines 41 and 43, after "elongated"; each occurrence, insert cyclindrical column 6, line 12,

strike out and", line 14 before "said", second occurrence lnsert and Signed and sealed this 1st day of July 1969.

(SEAL) Attest:

Edward M. Fletcher, Jr. WILLIAM E. SCHUYLER, JR.

Attesting Officer Commissioner of Patents 

